This website uses cookies primarily for visitor analytics. Certain pages will ask you to fill in contact details to receive additional information. On these pages you have the option of having the site log your details for future visits. Indicating you want the site to remember your details will place a cookie on your device. To view our full cookie policy, please click here. You can also view it at any time by going to our Contact Us page.

As David Brooke, product manager for wireless voice and data at CML Microcircuits, explains: “The CMX655D integrates two matched channels with digital signal processing [DSP], along with a 1 Watt 90%-efficient filterless Class D amplifier and support for digital micro-electromechanical systems microphones.

“These are functions that would have previously only been possible by adding additional components; plus, the CMX655D design makes full use of advanced manufacturing processes.

This results in a device that requires very low power in all operating modes and is able to operate from a 1.8V to 3.6V supply, as opposed to requiring 5V to achieve a 1 Watt output power. These features make it ideal for battery-powered devices.

“The pure voice codec has been underserved for many years, in terms of investment from the industry at large, because the majority of the focus has been on multimedia codecs for smart phones.

“This has left OEMs with no practical way of benefiting from the significant advancements that have been made in process technology, as well as MEMS microphone and speaker technology over the same timeframe. With the CMX655D we are redressing that, by bringing the voice codec into the smart generation.”

The use of wired and wireless telephony is still increasing and voice codecs provide the crucial interface between a microphone and a speaker in any application that uses voice as an interface. While the smart phone industry has focused on multimedia codecs, the demand for higher quality voice outside this market is also increasing, as consumers become more accustomed to interfacing with advanced electronic devices using their voice.

As well as the opportunity present for higher quality audio in telephony, the use of natural speech and audible feedback in devices (such as digital assistants and other home appliances) is also on the rise, as manufacturers continue to make our lives ‘smarter’.

To improve the user experience, manufacturers are increasingly turning to signal processing to apply digital filters to voice signals. This would normally require either a separate DSP or a high-end microcontroller (MCU). Now, due to the CMX655D’s integrated DSP functionality, OEMs can remove the external DSP or specify a low-end MCU instead.

The ultra-low power operation of the CMX655 requires around 500µA for all microphone path functions, as opposed to a few mA that alternative codecs require. Delivering higher functionality at significantly lower system power is a major development for the industry.

Its low power and high level of integration will enable manufacturers to add high quality voice to a wider range of applications, such as intercom-based door entry units and other security systems, smart home appliances and voice systems in the home, workplace and factory. It will also offer significant benefits to existing telephony applications.

The CMX655D features two independent microphone channels, capable of operating in full duplex mode while maintaining relative signal phase. This enables one device to support two-way communication, while simultaneously applying echo cancellation, for example.

The voice filters offered by the DSP include 300H to 3.4kHz for classic telephony, and 50Hz to 7kHz for high-definition audio – while all signal paths support audio bandwidths up to 21kHz at sample rates of 8, 16, 32 or 48k.

As a traditional telephony codec, the CMX655D supports A-law and µ-law companding (the reduction of a signal's signal-to-noise ratio). The two parallel channels feature completely separate signal paths, but share a common serial audio interface: this supports I2S (the Inter-IC Sound serial bus designed for digital audio devices) as well as I2C and SPI interfaces for device control.

Alongside its low-power operation and high level of integration, other features of the CNX655D include programmable signal level detection, autonomous very low-power voice detection, and noise gating. The speaker path has dynamic range control, which ensures a constant volume at the output speaker (even if the input varies). This is particularly useful feature, especially in intercom or security systems.